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The Trump Tower Terrace never looked so good thanks to the invite by Chicago Magazine to shoot their July cover. That night I had one of those deep, overwhelming love patters for the city of Chicago. It’s a really beautiful place when you’re not chattering your teeth to get out of the cold. On top of that, apparently there’s more than 165 things to do?!!

This simple advertisement is a good example of how much work goes into each and every image. Most people would look at this and think that there were maybe 4 people in the room: the photographer, assistant, boy and dad. In short, it took an army: 2 food stylists, prop stylist and prop stylist assistant, wardrobe stylist (yours truly), a whole bunch of photo assistants, and of course, New York based photographer Con Poulos. There were also three little boys on deck in case one of them had a melt down, and sure enough, the #1 choice for the little boy did. The lesson to be learned is that it often takes a small army to get it right the first time around.

It’s not everyday you get the opportunity to work with a photographer as admired as Martin Schoeller. When I got the initial phone call saying I was being considered to work with him, I jumped up and down. Then, when I got the phone call saying that he wanted to work with me, I did a celebratory sprint in my apartment, which was more like a shuttle run do to its tiny size. Martin Schoeller?! Martin Schoeller!!! If you’re not familiar with his work, here’s a little sampling.

And the controversial Time cover:

Here’s the Advil advertisement I did the wardrobe styling on. I’m sure you’re asking yourself, “But there’s no wardrobe?” Not true my friends. Behind that hint of a cardigan, blur of a necklace and hip mom glasses, there was a full rack of different tops for the mom, AND the kid’s hands, as well as a table of glasses and accessories. Here’s the thing, you never know where the crop is going to be and how much you will see, and I rather die than let Mr. Schoeller down. It doesn’t look like much, but that doesn’t bring down my excitement. A big THANK YOU to everyone who let me be in the same room as him.

I realize my timing of this post may not be the best. Therefore, I would like to start by saying that I wish the tables had turned in a more favorable direction for the Bulls in this post season, and I’m sorry for their loss due to the team’s injuries. After turning off the game, it inspired me to find the Nike commercial I wardrobe styled of Luol Deng last December because I hadn’t seen it yet. Um, yeah… it’s amazing. I’m so excited to have been part of the massive crew that made this happen.

If my mom told me driving home from my fourth session of basketball camp in the summer of 1993 that I would someday dress a Bulls player for a Nike commercial, I would have never taken down my Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen posters I got from the book fair. At the time, I was pretty sure that I would someday be surrounded by fellow players that could dunk, but it would be from my basketball merits, not from my ability to source an ungodly amount of Nike merchandise in less than 24 hours. Either way, this commercial makes me smile ear to ear. It fulfills a dream. It’s a different dream that includes a lint roller, but still… I’m honored to be able to stand next to such an amazing athlete under any circumstance. Go. Team. Wardrobe.

Backyard grilling action? Now here’s something I know a lot about propping. Here’s a Unilock commercial that we filmed last October that I art directed and propped. I was so excited to see this because I never get to see any of the ads I work on. You’d think I’d be better at digging stuff up to present on my blog, but honestly, blogs that only show your work are really just portfolios.

Some interesting outtakes from the filming of this would be the crew rolling into this suburban house at 5 am, trying to remove a tarp from the Unilock patio that had collected a pond full of rainwater the night before, and then proceeding to dump it all over ourselves. I worked the first hour without any shoes and wet feet. Thanks again Melanie (super duper producer who keeps extra socks on hand) for your festive socks. Shockingly, the mostly Canadian crew showed no empathy for cold feet.

Other fun obstacles were creating a new patio cushion color by pinning loose fabric, making a yard that looked like late fall in Chicago look like June by filling it with out of season flowers, and propping a french door to look like we were still in the house, while in fact the door was rigged outside in the middle of the patio. Oh art department and the challenges you present. As usual, a crazy amount of work for a quick splice of advertising, but that’s how these things roll.

Here’s a recent portrait I styled with photographer, Brian Kuhlmann of Chicago’s own Gold Motel. I’m usually not a big fan of using black because it creates a hole in the frame, but when you’re working in an old bank vault with walls of gold safety boxes, black is your friend, especially some good ol’ black leather (singer’s dress, although you can’t really tell. It looked AMAZING on her! Dress is by Elizabeth and James.)

I can’t tell you how elated I am to be part of the amazing crew who creates The Land of Nod catalog. To add icing to the cake, the main art direction I got for the wardrobe styling was to “think outside the box.” This was exciting to me because with kids, you can be a little more weird. You don’t want things to look perfect, instead it needs to be imaginative. I approached this project in creating grown up personas for each of the kids and shopped for elements that would be telling of their future personalities. Grant it, first and foremost, this is a kids home catalog. We’re not marketing clothes, and we don’t want them to be too over-the-top so that we lose sight of what we’re selling. The trick is to conquer this while still having the kids look aspirational. Since I was shopping for a holiday catalog in July, it involved a lot of thrifting, a lot of rummaging through antique stores, and a lot of vintage perusing; mixed with your basics from Target, Nordstrom, etc. I also aged a lot of clothes to make them look less off the shelf.

Some challenges I encountered were that some kids already had strong opinions on what they would and would not wear. “What do you mean you don’t want to wear a top hat with a pipe cleaner brim? But you’re my mini Johnny Deep, via Benny & Joon!” Unlike a disciplinary mom who can lay down the law and tell her child to be quiet and buck up, I had to compromise with the talent. They’re still kids, and they’re not going to give you what you want on camera if they feel uncomfortable. In the end, we made a deal and I’m pretty excited with the outcome. Here’s a couple of shots I scanned from the catalog. You can now find the holiday catalog in stores or in your mailbox.

Truth be told, I’m not a big fan of horses. They’ve always kind of freaked me out. BUT, for whatever reason, I seem to incorporate them in every other part of my life. This horse bust plaque came off of my kitchen wall (minus the sunglasses), I own a number of horse themed shirts, and have horses plastered all over my refrigerator.

I never claimed I was normal.

Regardless, I love this image I did with Brian Kuhlmann. It has everything I like about styling with telling a story, having a sense of humor, and a little bit of sass-mastery.

This may have been the easiest shoot I’ve ever styled thanks to this handsome chap. It’s a rarity when the first thing someone puts on fits them like a gem and ends up in the final image. All of Patrick Andrews (actor in photograph) clothes were provided by AllSaints Spitalfield new store on Michigan Avenue. Hair and make up was done by the talented Jenna Baltes (you should hire her). Lastly, a BIG thanks to the super duper photographer, Brian Kuhlmann for asking me to be part of his team. Make sure you go see Patrick in the two man show called Red at the Goodman Theater.

Chris Peters and Shane Gabier from Chicago based clothing line Creatures of the Wind, are some of the few Chicago based designers who are earning some steam internationally for their Spring 2012 line. “The whole collection was inspired by the idea of second sights and holy, mystic visions,” Peters said during a preview of the collection. “Our fabric choices came from examining psychedelic artists and experiences.” Many agree, if drugs is what it takes, by all means boys… It worked for the Beatles, and is clearly working for Creatures of the Wind.

The designers mixed and matched fabrics, reversing floral jacquards to give the look a rawer, more iridescent texture — such as a jacket that also featured black lace and silver moiré. Some of the silhouettes had a feminine, vintage feel, but the duo also offered a few more modern looks, including a white silk faille dress with a sequined shoulder treatment. Peters and Gabier toyed with the idea of revealing layers, cutting away a portion at the torso of a navy dress to deliberately expose the silk lining.

You can find Creatures of the Wind in Chicago at Ikram, 15 E. Huron St., or elsewhere here.